Hi everyone! For the last few months, my boy has been in brumation. He has recently woken up in the last week or so and has been displaying frantic and concerning behavior including the following:
He is eating but not very much - he will go crazy for his bugs (gets dubia roaches only) but has always been picky with greens. For the last 2 weeks he has been awake he usually will ignore his greens for a day or two then on the third day he'll eat the whole bowl. He gets collard greens and soft/cooked butternut squash every day which is his favorite. I switch his greens up from collard to dandelion and turnip greens on occasion for variety but keep the butternut squash as a staple. I will also occasionally give bell peppers as a treat/variety. I also occasionally sprinkle a tiny bit of bee pollen on his veggies to entice him which he enjoys.
Due to the plug issue, he had several months ago, the vet informed me to give him Rep-Cal herptivite vitamins 2x a week - so he gets bugs twice a week which are dusted in that vitamin powder and calcium powder. I will also sprinkle calcium powder on his veggies lightly once a week so 3 times a week in total for calcium powder. He was not being given bugs during brumation - only offered greens and veggies which he barely ate the last few months.
He has a Reptile Habitats 4x2x2 (120 Gallon) PVC Bearded Dragon Enclosure - shown in the photos below. His basking area is at 106 degrees, ambient temps on the hot side are usually around 90-95 degrees, and the cold side is at 78 degrees. He has a reptisun 10.0 uvb T5 HO mounted on the inside of the tank.
I work from home so I spot-clean his tank at least once a day and every other week I give it a deep clean with water and reptile-safe cleaning spray.
I do let him run around a few times a week for about 15 minutes at a time and give him baths at least once or twice a week (he HATES baths and they stress him out so it is mostly just for a quick clean). I wish I could let him free roam more but I have multiple dogs and cats so it is just not safe - I have to monitor his free roaming and keep the other animals away with a baby gate.
Can anyone please help me understand this behavior? He seems very lively and I do not believe he is sick but does seem incredibly stressed and angry and not sure why. A photo of him is attached. Please excuse the greens in his tank - he has been throwing them around but as I mentioned the tank is cleaned daily. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
- Black beard most of the day
- Glass surfing and scratching at the glass doors of the tank
- Lots of head bobbing
- Making a mess of his tank - throwing the food around and walking through the food bowl
- Frequent (but small) white and normal-looking urate surrounded by clear/white fluid (looks almost sticky) - he has been doing this in various areas of his tank once or twice a day
He is eating but not very much - he will go crazy for his bugs (gets dubia roaches only) but has always been picky with greens. For the last 2 weeks he has been awake he usually will ignore his greens for a day or two then on the third day he'll eat the whole bowl. He gets collard greens and soft/cooked butternut squash every day which is his favorite. I switch his greens up from collard to dandelion and turnip greens on occasion for variety but keep the butternut squash as a staple. I will also occasionally give bell peppers as a treat/variety. I also occasionally sprinkle a tiny bit of bee pollen on his veggies to entice him which he enjoys.
Due to the plug issue, he had several months ago, the vet informed me to give him Rep-Cal herptivite vitamins 2x a week - so he gets bugs twice a week which are dusted in that vitamin powder and calcium powder. I will also sprinkle calcium powder on his veggies lightly once a week so 3 times a week in total for calcium powder. He was not being given bugs during brumation - only offered greens and veggies which he barely ate the last few months.
He has a Reptile Habitats 4x2x2 (120 Gallon) PVC Bearded Dragon Enclosure - shown in the photos below. His basking area is at 106 degrees, ambient temps on the hot side are usually around 90-95 degrees, and the cold side is at 78 degrees. He has a reptisun 10.0 uvb T5 HO mounted on the inside of the tank.
I work from home so I spot-clean his tank at least once a day and every other week I give it a deep clean with water and reptile-safe cleaning spray.
I do let him run around a few times a week for about 15 minutes at a time and give him baths at least once or twice a week (he HATES baths and they stress him out so it is mostly just for a quick clean). I wish I could let him free roam more but I have multiple dogs and cats so it is just not safe - I have to monitor his free roaming and keep the other animals away with a baby gate.
Can anyone please help me understand this behavior? He seems very lively and I do not believe he is sick but does seem incredibly stressed and angry and not sure why. A photo of him is attached. Please excuse the greens in his tank - he has been throwing them around but as I mentioned the tank is cleaned daily. Any help would be greatly appreciated!